Bastion Fanfarinet/Relationships
Family How to describe the Fanfarinet family? A French aristocratic family previously held in high esteem, the Fanfarinets' reputation took a blow ever since the very first Princess Mayblossom was taken by the very first Ambassador Fanfarinet. They recovered that reputation, of course. Over generations, they became one of the most influential diplomatic families in France. Unfortunately, a family can recover from a crime-stained reputation, but very rarely can they recover from forementioned crime. Disguised behind sharply creased suits and well-meant trade agreements, behind closed doors and under-the-table payments, the Fanfarinets are nothing less than corrupt politicians. Payments of gold are sent off to dragon hoards, goblins in the British Isles and Swiss Banks, while the family indulge in their comfort and luxury. † denotes a dead family member, at current time (during EAH) ‡ presumably Parents As the sister of the previous Fanfarinet, Elise Fanfarinet knew how both her brother, and her father (a generation before) perished for their destinies. From then, she realised that the fairytale world never truly cared about the individual, and saw tales as nothing short of ruinous. Externally, she appears nothing less the perfect diplomat. However, as someone who never learnt what it was like to have a stable family, Elise Fanfarinet was a terrible mother. She showed little love, she was distant and detached. There is a reason why both her children are in boarding school, after all. Much like his mother, Bastion’s father is cold and detached. He is an international Chinese-Korean diplomat, and is often away (usually in different countries) for business. His father is a good decade or so older than his mother, and often returns from these business trips with more lavish accessories, or smelling more of liquor and women. No one attempts to question it, least of all Elise Fanfarinet. (She won't admit it, but it's breaking her heart.) Uncle: Jacques Fanfarinet To Bastion, Jacques Fanfarinet seemed less of his own man, but rather someone defined by his legacy. To think of Jacques Fanfarinet is not to see him as a person, or even a character, but rather an archetype. It’s an archetype that Bastion knew he couldn’t – and wouldn’t – fulfill. The man is clearly dead now, long gone before Bastion was born, but his past existence has once plagued Bastion’s present. He hated his uncle – hated everything he did, everything he stood for –, and hated the fact that one day he would be seen to be just another imitation of him. When he had renounced his destiny, Bastion Fanfarinet thought himself finally free of his uncle’s legacy. How wrong he was. Sister: Adelaide Fanfarinet Adelaide Fanfarinet, 14, is Bastion’s younger sister. As both were sent to boarding schools at young ages, the two are not particularly close, and don’t even bother to contact each other while the other is away. Currently, Adelaide is at finishing school, where her friends often bother her about what it’s like to have a legacy for a brother. She uses Bastion’s position as an opportunity to make up stories about him and to reinforce her own popularity, and due to her lack of knowledge about him, often exaggerates or gets things completely wrong. Given that Bastion Fanfarinet's status is currently "non-hexistent", the stories that were told about Bastion are now about their cousin, Gabriel. Cousin: Gabriel Fanfarinet Gabriel Fanfarinet had been Gabriel Benoît when the two first met, and upon getting the Fanfarinet destiny thrust upon him, took up the family name. The two only knew each other for one week before Bastion left the world, so one could not call the two particularly close. However, that is not to deny that they did not change each other’s existence dramatically. To Bastion, Gabriel represented the past, but at the same time, hope. By placing his burden into Gabriel’s hands, Bastion gave himself the opportunity to run away from all responsibility. It would be much later – five years down the track, to be precise – when Gabriel realised with more certainty that the promise of an interesting life was not a gift, but a curse. The two would meet again then, but on far less amicable terms. Friends Pythia Adalinda Pythia’s kingdom was located on the French-German border. Bastion’s family lived tucked somewhere between France and Switzerland. From childhood, the two had been geographically close. Such was only furthered by the fact that the two were sent to the same Swiss boarding school for primary education. When Bas had been a child, he had been far less uptight. He was outspoken, and carried himself with a bold, childlike energy. He had strong aspirations for himself and the will to achieve them. In other words, he and the young Pythia were similar enough to click and become fast friends. Finding his family far too cold and detached, Bastion would often ship himself over to Germany to spend holidays with the House of Adalinda. The two would spend their time reenacting historical scenes out of dolls and toy cars and LEGO buildings, or playing a version of chess made of their own convoluted rules. If only childhood bliss was eternal. At fourteen, in the middle of a chess game with Pythia, a messenger arrived with the news that Bastion were to replace his uncle. Ignorant of her friend’s destiny, Pythia had simply squealed happily over how her bestie was going to school with her, while Bastion was silent in shocked horror. Although both villains, the two’s destinies were on such different levels of villainy that it drove a spike through their friendship. In the two years Bastion spent at highschool, the two drifted. No longer were they close; no longer did they talk as often. In fact, in later years, an older Pythia would admit that the Bastion she knew now was so remarkably different to the sullen young man at sixteen, and the optimistic boy of fourteen and under. It was jarring, she would say, to realise you know so little of someone whom you once called best friend. Airmid Valerian Both of the two would have denied being friends. They totally were not friends - simply a hero and a villain who were both sick of damning themselves for some worthless damsel. To Bastion, Airmid Valerian was oddly approachable. The physician could relate to the death aspects of their respective destinies, and spoke of it with no pity. (The fact that their story contained death in its title didn't hurt, either.) For most people, it was unsurprising that the two interacted on such a positive note. The physician was noted for enjoying the company of the condemned or otherwise avoided - seen particularly in their previous leadership of the Dead Epics Society. Driven by impulse, the two once went on a fortnightly trip through Germany and France, in attempt to trace their predecessor’s footprints. Unwittingly, the two became on amicable terms -- perhaps even friends. Although he would not admit it -- not then, not now -- Bastion grew to admire the physician. Airmid Valerian was almost an antithesis of him. Despite serving death, they were full of life and light. Yet another thing he refused to admit was that such life and light inspired him to save his own grimmdamn self. In his will, he left a substantial amount of money to “the greatest physician, to do the great things they do”. It was the least he could do to thank them. Acquaintances Charmaine Lexwington Most people would have thought them friends, but to Bastion, she didn’t even come close. Her company had been begrudgingly accepted, and every attempt at kindness had been politely rejected. They met once in the hallways of EAH, and kept running into the other in chance encounters. Bastion had simply disregarded such incidents as meaningless and irritating, but a certain fairy thought it better if the two attempted to be friends. Min had offered him gifts of food (which he rejected. Bastion knew his genre -- one should never accept gifts from fairies, it would bind you to them forever, and he was not prepared for serve Charmaine Lexwington for the rest of his life). And when Min forcibly fed him anything (not a gift, Bastion reasoned, more of a curse), it would be for naught; any cakes or sweets usually made him feel sick from the sweetness and got vomited out. Unfortunately for Bastion, Min’s insistence to hang out with him would sometimes attract the attention of certain members of the school body, who would enjoy latching onto their aesthetic and character differences, and playfully ship them. For reasons he couldn't pin down (later, he would learn that he was simply romance-averse), such jests made him uncomfortable, resulting in attempts to distance himself from the fairy. Enemies Turnus Wyllt Bastion hadn’t really bothered to interact with the next King Merlin’s son in the Princess Mayblossom. From what he knew, Turnus was too carefree about destiny, and hardly treated their author with any sort of respect. Perhaps, in another time, had destiny not been a thing, or had the disruption of destiny not occurred during their schooldays, they may have gotten along. Their love of literature and literary tropes, their stubborn disapproval of being naught but a plot-point for a princess... but alas, there's something to be said about being a victim to circumstance. Philomela Towerbird As linguists who served as translators for second-language students, it was expected that the two should know each other. It was not expected that they downright hated each other. On Bastion’s end, it was because he felt that he could relate to Philomela. There was that quiet acceptance and upholding of destiny, being well-read (and particularly genre-savvy), and the trait of never quite saying what they meant but what people expected. For someone who had hated himself, it felt only natural to hate people who were like him. It didn’t help that Bastion disliked damsels in general – particularly those of the princess in the tower trope, the same trope that the Princess Mayblossom was from. And it certainly didn’t help that this was one of the few people he knew that shared his interests, and that if they were amicable together, then – D’Aulnoy forbid – he actually might enjoy someone’s company. As both were tight-lipped and rarely honest nor expressive, any animosity between the two manifested in passive aggressive remarks, snark and patronisation. When speaking in some language, they often used the formal register for one another in the most mocking way possible, and hid their mutual dislike behind derisively saccharine tones. Pet Beauvoir was Bastion’s cat. She had been a pure white domestic shorthair, and disappeared when Bastion did. Romance Despite severe depression, Bastion Fanfarinet has loved several things. He loved the works of Madame D'Aulnoy, he loved folding pocket squares and tying ties, and he loved, above all, the illusion that the fairytale world was fundamentally just. Bastion Fanfarinet has never loved someone romantically. His only crushes have been fictional, safeguarding his heart behind printed words. And having held all his peers away from him at arm's length, he never developed anything that could be described as "feelings". During his time at Ever After High, Bastion Fanfarinet never assigned himself any identity, having never been concerned at all with pursuing anything. Category:Subpages